English Reference
Verb

interrogate

v.
C1 Advanced US /ˌɪnˈtɛɹəˌɡeɪt/ UK /ɪntˈɛɹəɡˌeɪt/ in·ter·ro·gate UK spelling interrogated, interrogates, interrogating Computing

v.to ask someone many questions to get information. In computing, it means to ask a system or a program for details about its current state.

v.to question someone closely or formally to obtain information. In a technical context, it refers to the act of querying a system or database to retrieve specific data or status details.


SIMPLE

The police interrogated the suspect for several hours.

CONTEXTUAL

The developer used a debugging tool to interrogate the server's memory to find the source of the error.

COMPLEX

By interrogating the system's logs, the security team was able to trace the unauthorized access back to a single compromised account within the network.

He later said he was being interrogated by Zambian army officers over two videos he released and alleged he had been assaulted while in custody, which authorities denied.

BBC News· 17 Aug 2026

Welsh’s knack for absurd social satire is regularly deployed to interrogate serious themes and visit dark places.

The Guardian· 13 Aug 2026

Learned borrowing from Latin interrogātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin interrogō (“to inquire, interrogate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin interrogō
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated